Sadiq Khan to Labour: Dump Jeremy Corbyn

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, urged Labour party members to oust Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election next month and support his challenger, Owen Smith.

Khan’s intervention into the Labour drama that has been unfolding since the June 23 Brexit referendum comes in an opinion piece published in Sunday’s Observer newspaper. Without a change in leadership, Labour faces a certain defeat at the next general election, Khan said.

“Jeremy has already proved that he is unable to organise an effective team and has failed to win the trust and respect of the British people,” Khan wrote. Although Corbyn still leads Owen in the party contest that is scheduled for a vote September 24, the mayor pointed out that his “personal ratings are the worst of any opposition leader on record and the Labour party is suffering badly as a result.”

“He has lost the confidence of more than 80 percent of Labour’s MPs in parliament — and I am afraid we simply cannot afford to go on like this,” Khan wrote. He sharply criticized Corbyn and his advisers for leading a weak and an inadequate campaign to convince voters to keep Britain in the EU, allowing the Leave camp to prevail.

“I was devastated by the result, and have spent every minute of the last two months trying to salvage the best possible outcome for London and our country — and reassuring EU citizens already living in Britain that they will remain welcome,” Khan wrote.

“Throughout the campaign and aftermath, Jeremy failed to show the leadership we desperately needed. His position on EU membership was never clear — and voters didn’t believe him,” Khan wrote. Khan was elected London mayor in May, just weeks before the EU referendum, scoring Labour’s biggest victory over Conservatives in years.

“I know from my own election — up against a nasty and divisive Tory campaign — that if we are strong and clear enough in our convictions, the message will get through to the public,” Khan wrote and added:

“That’s a test that Jeremy totally failed in the EU referendum. Why would things be different in a general election?”

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Maria Valentina Umer

I wonder if Labour plays a role at all in the UK in these turbulent times. It´s all about Tory neo-cons.

Posted on 8/21/16 | 11:20 AM CET

GS

@Maria Valentina Umer: Since Labour is delivering the mayor of its Capital and also some other important cities, I would say they do still count. But luckily they don’t count on the national level anymore with a far-left leader.
That is just what this article is all about, that Labour needs to become less extremist to get out of the political margins where they belong as long as they have this extremist leadership. Most Labour MP’s seem to understand this, but their party has been hijacked by an extremist take-over when they were not paying sufficient attention.
In meanwhile, it is as always up to the Tories to recover from the economic mess caused by Labour, just as for instance Thatcher had to do in the eighties.

Posted on 8/21/16 | 4:01 PM CET

Olive

How is it possible that somebody, who reads a book that endless describes to stab and kill Jews, throw homosexuals off a mountain, kill infidels, make sex slave out of (infidel) children etc. becomes the major of London? Not only that, he prays to it, believes in it and since he describes himself as a devote follower, one day, like the rest, will practice this literally as we see and is proven everyday. In short, a mediaeval wolf in sheep’s clothes, waiting for the right moment to kill you and enslave your children. People should understand what they’re dealing with! http://bit.ly/2bf1oKE

Posted on 8/22/16 | 11:30 AM CET

Petr

Olive: You are right. However, this blast-from-the-1970s Corbyn is no different. He refers to Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists as his friends.